Page 112 of Fierce-Dane

“You don’t know the half of what happened earlier.”

“Tell me,” she said, moving closer and rubbing his shoulders. “You’re tense. I can see it. Don’t be afraid and hold back because you think I’ll be upset or hurt. This is a lot for everyone, but we need to get this first time done.”

He told her what happened. “It really bothers me Mel set her up that way.”

“I’m not surprised,” she said. “I don’t know your ex, but I told you I thought she was jealous. It feels to me like it’s one of those ‘I don’t want you but no one else can have you’ in either situation.”

“I’m starting to feel that way too, but I’m not letting it get to me. I’ll deal with it after the kids are back home. No reason to call her now and get into an argument.”

He pulled Sloane into his arms for a hug and a kiss. He didn’t want to do that when she first walked in and upset his kids. They needed to see this in small doses.

Then he heard Tiffani yell and come stomping down the stairs.

He ran in that direction and met her halfway. “You bought her a stuffed animal too!” Tiffani screamed. “She just told me that you bought her a lamb when you gave me the horse.”

He’d forgotten about that. He didn’t even think it was a big deal.

Tyler and Shiloh came down the stairs and into the living room where he was with Tiffani as she sobbed.

“I’m sorry,” Shiloh said quietly. “I didn’t mean to make her cry. I’ll go stand in the corner.”

He turned his head speechless as Shiloh walked to a corner and faced the wall all but trying to squeeze into it to make herself invisible.

“Shit!”

“Dad, you swore,” Tyler said. “You never swear.”

This day was going to hell faster than lightning speed.

“My mother used to do that to us,” Sloane said, running over to get Shiloh and pull her away from the corner and calm her.

“Tiffani, that was wrong and rude. What did we talk about?”

Tiffani was balling her eyes out while she hugged his waist. He had to remind himself his daughter was seven and she’d been struggling with wanting more of his attention since Ethan came into the picture.

He was rubbing her back and pulled her to the couch and Sloane had Shiloh in the kitchen talking to her.

“You’re giving her things like you do us. We are your children.”

“Tiffani,” he said, lowering his voice. Yelling, scolding or punishing wasn’t going to accomplish anything. “We talked about this. I told you what happened to Shiloh. She was scared and didn’t know us and she’d just lost her mother. I know how much comfort Stanley gives you. Wouldn’t you have wanted someone to give you Stanley if you were in that position?”

“Yes,” Tiffani said, nodding her head against his waist.

“Well, Shiloh didn’t have a stuffed animal. She didn’t have a lot of anything. I knew what helped my little girl and I thought maybe it’d help her. I saw the horse and thought of you and the pig for Tyler. Even while we were there for Shiloh you were still on my mind. I’m not sure how much more I can explain that to you.”

“I don’t want to lose you,” Tiffani said, hugging him tighter. “If Shiloh lost her mother I could lose you.”

Why hadn’t he thought this might come up too? “We can’t control everything in life,” he said. “You know that. We have to make the best of what we can. Shiloh is younger than you and has such a hard life. She’s struggling to adapt just like you and Tyler had to do when your mother and I split. Remember how hard that was?”

“But I still saw you,” Tiffani said.

“That’s right, you did. And you still do. You know I’m here anytime you want to call and talk to me too.”

“But Shiloh can’t ever see or talk to her mother anymore,” Tiffani said.

“No,” he said. “She can’t. So please keep that in mind. I know you’re young yet and don’t understand it all, but I want you to think of what she is going through too.”

“Why did she go stand in the corner?” Tiffani said. “She didn’t do anything. I was mad at you.”